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' 2 SheetsSheet 1,.

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A, J. FORBES. RAILROAD NUT WRENGH.- N0. 336,908. I Patented Mal. Z, 1886.

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1.7V VEJV' TOR 182 072 ErZai .dttarney (Nd Model.) v 2Sheets-Sheet 2. A. J. FORBES. RAILROAD NUT WRENCH.

Patented Mar. 2, 1886.

UNTTED STATES ATENT Fries.

ALSTON J. FORBES, OF CAMPBELL, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO VINCENT H. HENDERSON, OF SAME PLACE.

RAILROAD N UT-WRENCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 336,908, dated March 2,1886.

Application filed May 15, 1885.

Serial No. 165,659. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, ALSTON J. FORBES, of Campbell, in the county of Hunt and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad Nut-Trenches; and I do hereby declare that the followingisafull, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form part of this specification.

This invention has relation to nut and bolt wrenches particularly applicable to railroads, but may be applied to bridges or machinery where aseries of nuts and bolts may be screwed up or unscrewed simultaneously.

The object of the invention is to economize in time and to facilitate railroad-building, and also to economize labor, inasmuch as one man using my wrench will be enabled to do the work of several men with the ordinary wrenches now in use. The invention consists in combining with suitable frame-worka series of socket-wrenches, to which are attached aseries of pawls and ratchets, and to these are fixed the operating mechanism, whereby all or any number of the wrenches may be used-simultaneously.

It further consists in peculiar clutching mechanism whereby the frame and wrenches are readily secured to the track for ready detachment therefrom.

Referring to the drawings hereto annexed, Figure 1 represents a perspective view of my apparatus, showing all the parts ready for op-' eration; Fig. 2, a transverse sectional view of the wrench in position for operation, showing the clutching or gripping device in elevation and attached to the railroad-rail, said rail, tiebolts, fish-plates, bolthead holder, socketwrench, and ratchet being in section. Fig. 3 is a plan view and sectional view of the ring which governs the movement of the ratchet, the ring being shown in halves. Fig. at is a crosssection through the said governing-ring, clearly showing the guiding-slot which retains it in position by means of pin 8. Figs. 5 and 6 are front views of the socket Showing the shape of two different kinds of wrenches,

railroad-nuts. However, my invention may be adapted to any kind or shaped nut. Fig. 7 shows the ratchet-pawl, spring, and slotted ring, and pin 5 and ratchet-head.

A shows a plate, in which are journals a, in which work the stems of the socket-wrenches B B, which have holes beyond the wrench portion for the reception of the bolt as it is screwed on. G O are clutching or gripping bars, which are secured to the plate A at one end and pass through plate Dat the other. These bars 0 0 have two downward projections, (1 d, whereby they are supported to straddle the track, bringing the frame-plates A D and socket wrenches opposite the boltholes in the rails. The projection d is rigidly bolted to the plate A, and projection d'has an elongated extension, 0, which passes through plate D, the extension csliding loosely on said plate D, which will be hereinafter more fully described. The inner side of plate D is provided with countersunk bosses ff, sufficient in number to correspond with the number of wrenches on plate A. The purpose of these bosses is to hold the bolt-heads from turning and in position while the nut is being screwed on. The said cross-bars O O are also provided with short downwardly-projecting jaws g g, which are serrated to more securely grip the rails to prevent the apparatus from slipping off. The projections c c of bars 0 are provided with cam-levers h h, which when turned down bear the plate D hard against the head of the tie-bolts passing through the rail of the track. At the ends 01' of cross-bar O, I-arrange springs i, as seen in Fig. 1, the object of which is to aid in releasing the plate D from the head of the bolt when itis screwed up, and to keep it sufficiently apart from the wrench-sockets to permit the ready replacement upon the next set of bolts. As a rule, rail-bolts are the same length, but should there be a deviation, such is provided for by the plate D, springs t, and cam-leversh.

So far I have mentioned the plates A D, bars 0 G, sockets B B, &c. I will now proceed to describe the operating portion of the apparatus.

I On the stems jj of sockets B, which pass through and are journaled in the-plateA, are

smaller stems, 70, upon which is placed a plate, Z, which performs the function of steadying and stopping plate for the sockets B, and just outside of plate I, I put washers m, which serve as collars for the ratchets E E to work against, and upon the outside of these collars m the operating-ratchets are placed.

E E are ratchets, which are placed on the ends or stems of the socket B. These ratchets have the usual-teeth, but are provided with two pawls, n n, which are pivoted near their upper ends by pint-1e 0. These pawls have recesses p in their heads, in which a spiral spring, q, is inserted and secured. The object of the spring is to throw the pawls into the ratchet-teeth and hold them there in contact. On the head of the ratchet is placed a concentric ring, F, having a slot, 1, through its periphery for about two-thirds of its circumference, in which works a pin, 8, which governs the distance the ring must turn from either direction. -This ring F is preferably made in a single piece, and has from its lower edge two projecting nibs or cams, ta, one being much Wider thanthe other, and arranged nearly opposite to eachother.

The cross-bars C G are rendered adjustable both Vertically and longitudinally in the following manner: The cross-bar O is cut in two sections at the point 1, and provided with the thumb-screw 2 and the teeth 3, arranged to operate in connection with the said screw, whereby the straddle of the track is adjusted longitudinally. The crossbar C is adjusted vertically by means of the projection d, adjacent to the extension 0, being provided with the thumb-screw 4, and the sections and teeth arranged therein in the same manner as before mentioned, and on the other projection there is placed a slot,5, allowing it to be raised and lowered simultaneously with the other projection. The object of making one wider than the other is that passing the wide and narrow cams over the two pawls at the same time throws both of them out of gear, but by turning the ring until the narrow one is off the pawl,which releases it and permits it to bite on the teeth, the wide cam still holds the other pawl out of gear, and thus only one is working; but when the ratchet is designed to be worked in the opposite direction the ring is partially turned, which releases the idle pawl and throws it out of gear,when the heretofore idle one then becomes in contact. Thus it will be seen that all the cams maybe made to work the same way; or some may be idle, or some may be screwing the'nut on,while others may be unscrewing by the same general movement.

At the upper portion of the ratchet-heads I insert a crank-pin, o, in each head, andupon these pins 1;, I place a plate or connectingrod, G, secured by nuts having washers between them and the plate. To the bottom of plate A, and about midway its length, I secure a bracket'plate, H, having a lug, I, in which works a shaft or spindle, J, one end of which is also secured in plate A. Upon this shaft I locate a lever or handle,'K, which is also pivoted to an arbor, w, fixed to the plate G, to which all the ratchet-heads are also fixed, so

that when the handle K is moved in either direction the ratchet-heads are also moved, and with them the socket-wrenches. The plate Z has secured to its side a bifurcated handle, to draw ofi' the socket-wrenches from the nuts and bolts when they are screwed up; and also acts as a means whereby the socketwrenches are caused to travel up with the nuts as they are screwed on.

The operation may be briefly set forth as follows: When the track is laid down and the tie-bolts inserted, the apparatus is put on it, straddling the rail. The bolts and wrenches being a corresponding distance apart, the nuts are now started by hand. Preferably a man should be putting them on ahead of the machine. The sockets are then put on the nuts, the bosses on plate D being brought against the heads of the bolts. The cam-levers h h are now brought down when the bolt is fast. The lever K is then taken hold of, and the four ratchets rotate,while the fournuts are screwed up simultaneously, or unscrewed, as the case may be. Should any one ortwo require more screwing than the other, the ratchets of the tight bolts are thrown out of gear, when the others may be screwed home. After the four bolts are screwed tight, the cam-levers h h are thrown up, the handle M is taken hold of, and the machine loosened,when it is ready for the next set. Thus it will be seen that the work is readily, rapidly, and economically done.

It is evident that sockets and bolt-head holders may be placed on the plates A D to slide thereon and be adjusted to the distance between the bolts, where they are of irregular distances, and that the sockets could be secured by set-screws, &c., without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a railroad nut-wrench, the mechanism for simultaneously screwing a series of bolts or any number thereof, consisting of the bosses f, fixed on the frame-work, in combination with the socket-wrenches B B, journaled in frame A and operated by the ratchets on the end of the stem of the sockets, the two pawls n n, the spring q, the ring F, having two cams, t a, one being wider than the other, the crosspiece G, and the handle K, all arranged to operate substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of adjustable bars 0 0, having the projections 9d d 0, and the cam levers h, with the frames A and D, bosses f, and sockets B, said sockets being operated by the mechanism hereinbefore described.

3. The combination of the socket-wrenches with the mechanism for operating the said wrenches, either in whole or in part, consisting of the ratchets, the pawls, the spring, the

ring having a slot and two cams of unequal size, cross-piece G, bolted to the ratchet-heads, and the handle-lever, as set forth.

4. In a railroad-wrench, the combination of the sockets provided with stems or shanks and operated either in whole or in part by the ratchets placed on the said stems, the pivoted pawls engaging the teeth of the ratchets, the spring arranged in the recess of the pawls, the concentric ring on the head of the ratchet having a slot and two downwardly projecting cams of unequal size, the crosspieee, and the handle-lever with the plates A and D, as and for the purpose specified.

5. In a railroad-wrench, the combination of the bifurcated handle which operates the series of sockets to or from the bolt-heads,

with the actuating handle-lever, the ratchet witnesses.

ALSTON J. FORBES. Witnesses:

JOHN ENDERS, J12, O. E. DUFFY. 

